DHA is supposedly the omega 3 fatty acid that everyone thinks is really essential and can help in reverting the NCDs if taken at regular times during pre and post natal stages. So is it really true?
According to several papers, I sy: yes. It is essential for neural development of new-born babies since they cannot synthetise DHA from alpha-linoleic acid..
Don't know whether you are aware that it will soon be available as a commercial product as GM soybean oil. I attended a special conference last year in DC, and wrote a blog about it:
http://uagarwal.blogspot.com/2011/08/oil-of-future-nutritionally-enhanced.html
Hope you find it useful.
DHA is already being supplemented in health drinks for kids. But my concern is that wont the excess supplementation hamper the natural production of DHA by enzymes? I mean, if there is too much in the system the enzymes will not be programmed at proper time, and not activated when needed.
Human body can make DHA only if sufficient precursor EPA is there, which inturn is mainly absorbed from food. I've not come across a de-novo pathway to synthesize DHA from scratch in humans. Hence, supplementation seems a good approach.
As far as the repression in enzyme activity is concerned, it should not be much affected if the supplementation is within limits of RDA.
DHA is, as far as we know, predominantly transported in form of phosphatidylcholine (PC), a phospholipid component of lipoproteins synthesized by the liver by PC synthesis de novo or via methylation pathway. In any case, peripheral disdribution requires sufficient supply with choline and other methyl donators. DHA/EPA-containing triglycerides, however, increase biliary flow and, thereby, excretion of bile PC. Hence, oral supplementation with DHA as a triglyceride or any non-phospholipid may or may not be helpful in improving DHA status of patients, depending on choline status, intestinal digestive and absorptive impairment and the enterohepatic cycle of bile components.
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